Rugs and carpets have been used since the earliest Oriental civilizations and their use spread to the West because of their beauty and usefulness. In this conference, Jennifer Wearden describes different types of carpets and how the have been used through the centuries in different areas. She gives an overview of the history of carpets, pointing out that most of the information we have about them comes from fragments excavated in different parts of Asia or has been inferred from looking at paintings. She also identifies the different types of knots used to make carpets and how they affect the design.